Tides of Time is a card drafting game for two in which each player builds and expands a civilization as the “Tides of Time” move along. The goal is to earn the most victory points by acquiring suits and combining cards in order maximize their powers and points. Some cards give straight victory points for each one you have of a certain suit in your hand. Others give you victory points if you have the majority of a suit, while others give you points if you have one each of specific suits in your hand. One card settles all ties in your favor. There are more abilities/combinations, but you can see how you need to collect cards that “go together” in order to score points.

Humanity has conquered earth, tamed the seas and taken to the skies. Reaching for the stars was an inevitability. What would will we do when we start colonizing the universe? The same thing we always do: strip it for natural resources and make robots and lasers! Far Space Foundry isn’t about exploring the vastness of space or adventures with alien species. It’s about the dirty work that keeps the galaxy running. It’s about the people behind the scenes, keeping the cogs spinning. It’s about space rocks.

Spookies is a dice game where you push your luck venturing further into a haunted house. The more you risk going further up each floor the greater number of “spookies” you can earn. But you also risk a bigger fall when failing – and then it’s you who goes bump in the night…and down the stairs!

Bruno Cathala had two fantastic games come out in 2014. One was the award-winning game Five Tribes. His other title, while overshadowed by the excitement of Five Tribes, was a great underwater themed game called Abyss. We reviewed it last year (spoiler alert: we loved it) and it has made its way to our tables countless times since then.

So when an expansion for Abyss was announced, to say I was excited would be an understatement. Eager to see what Mr. Cathala had dreamed up with Abyss: Kraken, I quickly dove into what’s new in this expansion.

Abyss: Kraken includes four new modules that can easily be incorporated into the base game. We’ll first take a look at what’s new in the expansion and then discuss if it’s worth your gaming dollars.

Winner of the prestigious 2015 Spiel des Jahres gaming award, Colt Express has players taking on the role of bandits pulling off a train robbery. With some accessible mechanics, great components, and engaging game play, Colt Express has certainly gotten quite a bit of attention since its release. Is Colt Express deserving of the Spiel des Jahres it won? Let’s board the train and find out.

Colt Express is an action programming game for 2-6 players that takes about 30 minutes to play. Colt Express plays best with 5-6 players.

You may not believe it but reviewing Kickstarter games can often be a stressful affair. Getting sent the game a few days before the Kickstarter begins, trying to schedule in a few games and then furiously typing up a review while there’s still plenty of time left on the project. Heldentaufe is a little different, as instead of a playing a physical version of the game around a table, this Kickstarter review is based on an online implementation that you can play right now.

Archaeology casts 2-5 players as the worst kind of 1930s archaeologist, rummaging through a central deck of Egyptian antiques, collecting sets of cards and selling them to museums back home. You’re absolutely not the good guys. You’re burglars with diplomas. But if it’s any consolation, you’re going to be stressed out of your tiny mind.